Mike Shinoda and grandson Attempt To Find Ambition In 'Running From My Shadow'

On the path to coming to terms with the demons of his past, Mike Shinoda is continuing to fight. Mike Shinoda and grandson attempt to find ambition in 'Running From My Shadow,' a dark new song that finds Shinoda recalling the past in an attempt to move forward.

Shinoda's music has always come with two major sides: a musical side and a lyrical side. 'Running From My Shadow,' as is to be expected, takes advantage of both. Similarly to his last song, 'About You' featuring blackbear, Shinoda employs his hip-hop roots heavily in the verses of the song. Verse one deals with the inability to act as a result of the past, angrily reminiscing with opening lines "Wanna know where I don’t go / When it goes from OK to a oh no / When it goes from hi five to a low blow / When it goes from all five to a solo." He addresses the "elephant in the room" in verse one, whereas in verse two, Shinoda begins to try and find reason to move forward in his situation: "Light side’s got a dark side to it / Daytime flows into night like fluid / The yin and the yang with a curved line through it." In the choruses, Shinoda paints a bleaker picture, as if all his attempts still aren't enough: "Running from my shadow but it’s still there chasing me down / I’ll never win the battle / Never win the battle and I should have known it by now." Even grandson's verse shows desperation, starting off with the almost hopeless lyrics "I love you but I know / I gotta let you go / Dancing with the devil cause she’s all I’ve ever known."

Instrumentally, 'Running From My Shadow' builds just as the emotions do. It begins almost innocently, a light synth leading into driven hip-hop beat. The verses have a interesting, almost gang-like vibe going on that adds to the sense of trying to move forward. The choruses are a bit more full, yet with each new section things get fuller and have a stronger conviction. Layer upon layer builds before it all reprieves during grandson's section, where his haunting melodies offer a ghastly transition to a more confident, bombastic distorted guitar solo that rages with swagger and confidence. The progression of the instrumental seems to speak to the idea of finding the strive to move forward.

Mike Shinoda and grandson attempt to find ambition in 'Running From My Shadow,' looking at the mistakes and problems from the past to try and get the inspiration they need to move forward. It's another diverse song, building in more ways than one to achieve his message. The song works on multiple levels, and is only another testament to what will surely be an incredible album with Post Traumatic.

Rating: 94 / 100

Stream or buy 'Running From My Shadow' on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: